An Australian tourist spent her final moments clinging to a steep rock face about 80 metres above the ground after falling at one of Bali’s best-known cliff sites, before a second fall proved fatal.

Brianna Cronin, 29, an ecologist travelling alone, died on Saturday morning at Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida, an Indonesian island near Bali.

The dramatic coastal formation, famed for its resemblance to the head of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex, is among Bali’s most recognisable sights and draws thousands of international visitors each year.

The University of Queensland graduate had been making her way along the notoriously steep, narrow trail to the landmark when she slipped on loose rocks and became stranded on the southern side of the cliff.

Another tourist saw Ms Cronin precariously stuck on a ledge beneath the path. She was unable to climb back to the track and was too far above the beach to make her way down.

It remains unclear whether she had been injured in the initial fall. The tourist notified a local lifeguard monitoring the rugged beach below at about 7.45am.

Rescuers were preparing a plan to reach Ms Cronin when she fell again as she waited for help. She landed on the sand at Kelingking Beach and died at the scene after suffering multiple fractures in the fall down the rocky cliff.

The route down to the beach has previously been described as a “death trap” and an “accident waiting to happen”.

‘The views are spectacular but it is downright dangerous and irresponsibly managed,’ one visitor wrote on Tripadvisor in 2019.

‘At least half of the ”path” is sheer, vertical drops, requiring climbing, hanging, and holding on to broken side rails made literally of sticks and bamboo. 

‘Should you twist your ankle or break something you’d be in serious trouble, let alone how easy it would be to tumble through the ”side rails” and drop straight down the side of a cliff.

‘Beautiful as it is, this attraction is going to make headlines for all the wrong reasons if responsible action is not taken soon.’

Another traveller, in a video posted to TikTok in 2024, issued a stark warning to anyone considering attempting a hike to Nusa Penida’s famous beaches.

‘My number one tip for Diamond Beach, Nusa Penida, is do not do the climb down,’ she wrote.

‘There have been numerous deaths over the years. The last part is actually so hard to get onto the beach that after climbing down for 40 minutes we had to turn around and climb back up.’

Local authorities in recent years had constructed the metal framework for a large elevator between the top of the cliff and beach, but construction was called off in 2025 following concerns over the impact to nature and increased tourist numbers.

Rescuers on Saturday spent about 90 minutes carrying Ms Cronin’s body back up the cliff to an awaiting ambulance.

An earlier attempt to remove her body by boat had to be abandoned due to large and dangerous swells.

She was later taken to Griya Penida Medical Clinic.

The recovery operation involved Indonesia’s Search-and-Rescue Agency, the Indonesian Navy, police, lifeguards, tourists, and local residents.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is assisting Ms Cronin’s family.

‘We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,’ a spokesperson said.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli on Sunday said he was heartbroken for those who knew Ms Cronin. 

‘A young woman on the trip of a lifetime, active and enjoying herself, and to have her life taken away in a heartbeat like that is incredibly sad,’ he said.

Ms Cronin’s body will be repatriated to Australia.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have offered a glimpse of their family’s British countryside routine, with a new Instagram video showing the couple and their children enjoying muddy puddles, woodland walks and time outdoors with their dogs.

The cheerful footage marks the first time Harry and Meghan have been seen together in Britain since their return. Shared through Meghan’s social media, the clips capture a series of relaxed moments with their young family.

In one scene, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex walk hand in hand through the woods in Wellington boots. Meghan turns towards the camera — thought to be held by one of the children — and calls out: “Come on, you!”

Princess Lilibet, five, appears beside a fire warming her bare feet as she hums happily. The video then cuts to a muddy puddle, where boots believed to belong to seven-year-old Archie splash into view.

Another shot shows Lilibet riding a pink, tasselled bicycle, complete with a doll seated in a rear chair, along a park track towards a small group of deer.

“Archie!” Harry can be heard calling as his son runs into frame wearing a pink shirt and blue wellies.

The montage later features the family’s Labrador, Pula, racing along a fern-lined woodland path as Wham!’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go begins playing over the video.

Cut to the next scene, and the family is sitting in a rowboat in a mirror-like lake, with Harry fixing up a hook on a fishing rod, with Pula playing on the banks.

Archie is heard saying, ‘I got this’ in a distinctly American accent as fish writhe around in the lake waters.

The video – posted on Meghan’s Instagram account – has a Union Flag and red heart emoji side by side throughout, in place of a post caption.

The couple has recently said they are ‘happy to be back’ in the UK, and the children have started at school already.

This is in spite of their swirling row with Buckingham Palace over Uganda’s withdrawal from the Invictus Games.

Insiders close to the couple say that their exit was a ‘direct result’ of a letter written by King Charles, which insisted they are ‘private citizens’.

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Charles’s letter made it clear that while the family was back in the country, they were not back in the Firm.

There had been talks that they would have a ‘half in, half out’ arrangement on their return, but it appears that this will not be the case.

The Sussexes had left the UK six years ago to enjoy personal and financial freedom in the US but moved back just over a fortnight ago.

A bitter argument has existed between the breakaway family and the Royals back home after it was decided that they would not be allowed to have police security when visiting the UK, as they were no longer working royals.

The Duke of Sussex has reportedly ‘privately pleaded’ with Shabana Mahmood for a decision on whether or not he is getting funding for security for his family. 

Prince Harry said last year he was ready to ‘reconcile’ with his family and that the issue of police protection was the last remaining ‘sticking point’ in the feud. 

However, Harry and Meghan’s autumn diary still appears to be heavily laden. Harry is due to have a pseudo-royal appearance at the inaugural ‘Invictus Spirit’ Awards on Thursday, September 17.

There is even chatter that the duchess could join him at this glitzy event.

It has caused a major clash in the royal calendar with William and Catherine’s ‘royal away-day’ visit to the Isle of Bute on the same day, announced on Friday.

The King has a major public engagement at the same time, as it was announced that he would attend a meeting with global AI chiefs in hopes that it could be developed for ‘the good of humanity’.

Other engagements for Harry this month include the launch of the Invictus education programme INSPIRE. Afterwards, there’s the WellChild Awards in London on September 21, a charity for ill children and their families, which the prince has been involved with since his earliest days as a working royal.

Meanwhile, Meghan has been mulling over a ‘return to charity work’ once Archie and Lilibet settle into their new life.

There have also been rumours that she would return to acting after Guy Ritchie offered her a role in his hit TV show The Gentlemen, which was quickly revoked following massive backlash against the decision.

Have you heard of postural tachycardia syndrome, more commonly called PoTS?

Several years ago, one of my younger patients was diagnosed after enduring months of severe dizzy episodes that made it impossible for her to remain standing. The symptoms appeared without warning and ultimately forced her to leave college.

That experience made me far more alert to PoTS and to how readily this often-overlooked condition can go undetected.

In some ways, that is hardly surprising. PoTS remains poorly understood, and many GPs may not have come across it during their medical training. Dizziness is also an extremely common complaint, yet pinpointing its cause can be remarkably challenging.

There are dozens of potential reasons for feeling dizzy, including dehydration, low blood pressure, anaemia, medication side effects and inner-ear conditions. In some cases, no clear explanation emerges.

However, PoTS should be considered, especially when dizziness, a racing heartbeat or a faint feeling starts after standing and eases once you sit down or lie flat.

If those symptoms sound familiar, it is worth raising the possibility of PoTS with your GP. Growing numbers of people, particularly women, are now receiving a diagnosis, making awareness of the condition important for both patients and doctors.

PoTS affects the autonomic nervous system, which regulates bodily processes that happen without conscious control, including sweating, digestion, heart rate and blood-pressure changes.

For people with PoTS, standing causes the heart rate to increase abnormally. This can lead to dizziness, weakness, a pounding or racing heartbeat and, for some, fainting.

Sufferers can also experience extreme fatigue, headaches, brain fog, digestive problems and changes in sweating.

There is a simple test that can help flag whether it might be the cause. Your heart rate and blood pressure can be measured while you are lying down and then repeatedly after you stand up. In adults with PoTS, the heart rate typically rises by at least 30 beats per minute within ten minutes of standing, without the significant fall in blood pressure seen in some other conditions.

A smartwatch can provide useful clues, too. I’ve had patients show me readings demonstrating that their heart rate suddenly shoots up when they stand. Another clue can be unusually flexible joints.

If you are diagnosed, there are things you can do to make a real difference. One of the most important is surprisingly simple: fluids.

People with PoTS are advised to drink about two to three litres a day, which helps to maintain blood pressure. Increasing salt intake can also do this, but that isn’t something anyone should do without medical advice.

Compression garments can help by reducing the amount of blood that pools in the lower body, which means the heart doesn’t have to work quite so hard to keep blood circulating.

There are medications that specialists can prescribe, if these measures aren’t enough. None is currently specifically licensed in the UK for treating PoTS, so they are prescribed ‘off-label’ and treatment has to be tailored to the individual.

Some work by slowing the heart rate, while others help increase blood pressure or blood volume. Finding the right treatment can take time, and access to PoTS specialists remains patchy.

The important thing is that persistent dizziness shouldn’t be something you live with. If there is a clear pattern to when it happens, tell your doctor.

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The myth of blood thinners 

I was saddened to see the inquest finding last week that the death of Richard Branson’s wife, Joan, could have been prevented if doctors had prescribed anti-clotting medication sooner.

Called anticoagulants, or blood thinners, these can be lifesaving for older adults who are more prone to developing deadly blood clots and strokes than young people.

But many doctors are still reluctant to prescribe them to older patients out of fear that their increased risk of falling will lead to more brain bleeds.

But studies have shown this worry is based on myth – a patient would have to fall hundreds of times a year for the risk of bleeding to outweigh that of stroke.

I’d love to hear from readers about your experience with blood thinners – both good and bad.

Please write in using the email address on the right and let me know.

Your questions answered

I’m 78 and constantly suffer from attacks of gout in my feet. My diet is healthy, so what should I do? 

Dr Ellie replies: Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a build-up in the blood of a substance called urate, which can form tiny crystals in and around the joints.

It most commonly affects the big toe, causing sudden and often excruciating pain, heat, redness and swelling, but it can affect other joints.

If gout keeps coming back, there are two important possibilities to consider.

The first is that the urate level needs lowering. People who suffer frequent attacks are usually offered urate-lowering treatment, most commonly a daily drug called allopurinol.

Doctors use blood tests to monitor urate levels and gradually increase the dose until they reach a sufficiently low level to prevent crystals forming and reduce the risk of further attacks. If you’re taking allopurinol but are still suffering gout, ask your GP whether your urate level is actually at the recommended target.

Losing excess weight and cutting down on alcohol can also help. Certain foods can contribute to high urate levels, but dietary changes alone are unlikely to be enough to control recurrent gout.

The other possibility is that it isn’t gout. It can sometimes be confused with other forms of arthritis.

If someone is suffering what they describe as almost constant gout despite treatment, I would want their GP to reconsider whether the original diagnosis is correct.

One of the best ways to confirm gout is to take a small sample of fluid from a swollen joint using a needle – known as joint aspiration – and examine it for urate crystals. Ultrasound, X-rays and, in some circumstances, CT scans can also help doctors work out what type of arthritis is causing the problem.

So if gout attacks are continuing despite treatment, don’t simply assume that pain is inevitable.

Write to Dr Ellie: Do you have a question? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk